All creative entrepreneurs rely on inspiration to drive forward to greater heights, in a financially viable way. But expressing this usually needs guidance to succeed. You may have the best idea in the world, but without knowledge of executing it, it is worthless. We depend on peers who cultivated their knowledge through experience as mentors. Unfortunately, only a few have the privilege of learning from a capable mentor. Most young and creative entrepreneurs forge their paths, possibly making mistakes to learn from these. It doesn’t mean you struggle without any help whatsoever, nor that you cannot succeed on your own. If successful, you can opt become a mentor for others.
Piece together wisdom
Although you may not have taken on any specific help from a mentor in your life, influential people exist who can guide you. These people could be learned college professors, your peers in the expertise field, or relatives. Remember that if someone doesn’t do the same work as you, it doesn’t mean that they may not have valuable insights for you, if needed. Always keep an open mind especially if you meet creative business people who have earned their spurs as successful entrepreneurs; take some valuable time to ask them a few searching questions. There’s a chance that they could be flattered by your attentions and may even offer a few tips. Some of this advice may be acquired on their own, while some may have been handed down to them. Stack up these tips to acquire enough wisdom to be a full- fledged mentor.
Become your own mentor
A mentor cultivates wisdom from plenty of experience that comes from taking risks. This challenges individuals without mentors to show what they had to do. A new entrepreneur finds this scary and exciting, so be aware. When you succeed, try to assess reasons for success in the venture. Which actions create a positive effect and if you failed, analyse what caused a collapse? Such awareness is crucial to build wisdom for the future. Do not reinvent the wheel. A creative entrepreneur becomes part of an ever-expanding network of creativity that defines progress. Humility is invaluable for any entrepreneur, so be careful about undue risks. Always believe in yourself, but confidence is not the opposite of humility, and involves a simultaneous and careful balancing act. A failure is not the end, while a win is only temporary and part of an ongoing process.
Pass the Torch
If you succeed, you will find that others rely on you for their inspiration and livelihoods. This is a rare privilege, not to be taken for granted. All peers/employees may not hold you in high esteem, but there’s nothing to be taken personally as all rarely march to the beat of the same drum. Still, if you become success, people will trust you and value the wisdom accrued. Share your knowledge selectively with and cultivate them as the next links in the chain of your field. Passing down what you learn, directly benefits personal mentoring of your co-workers. You cannot do everything alone, so impart skills acquired throughout your life to others and pick a few able candidates to succeed you and take your enterprise’s success further. A well-developed legacy is the best thing a mentor leaves behind.